


Dreams of a Providential Soul

by xxAkatsukisBanexx



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Uchiha Madara, Chuunin Exams, F/M, Family, Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Genin Teams, Haruno Sakura-centric, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Strong Haruno Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-03-01 22:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13304733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxAkatsukisBanexx/pseuds/xxAkatsukisBanexx
Summary: He was a legend–strong, driven and commanding. It would only be right that she would share those same attributes. What are you to do when you were born with so much ambition, yet you lack the abilities that you once had–that once made you powerful. Simple. You become a legend in your own right. In which Haruno Sakura is Madara's Reincarnation.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old caves, fading breathes, and new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the purpose of this fanfic, Madara died a little later (some months before the Kyuubi attack). The first few chapters will be told in 1,000-2,000 word drabbles. It won’t be until after she graduates that the word count will get significantly larger only because it will be a notable amount of information to be covered and I don’t want this to be a hundred chapters long.

The night was calm, an unsettling and yet peaceful calm that blanketed the land. It seemed as though the wind sensed the change, and the trees waited with bated breath for something to happen. Death with its black cloak and sharpened sickle paused that night. It too sensed the change, feeling paralyzed by the unknown force.

Deep in a intricate and willowy cave, a gangly figure rested on a worn throne of slabs. Their once regal form collapsed, but they tried to look as composed as they could, choosing to face death head on and unfearing.

"Madara-sama. Is it time?" A figure appeared in front of the throne, its face obscured by a mask and the high collar of its cloak. Although their face couldn't be seen, the concern was clearly heard.

The man in question opened his worn eyes, acceptance flashed through them. "It seems as though I've fought off death as long as I could. I was not meant to live this long, and now death has come to take me." He harshly sighed. "After tonight you will have to carry on the mission alone, Obito."

Obito took off his mask, allowing his scared face to be seen. "Thank you for all that you've done and taught me. Without you I don't know what I would have done." He approached the man.

Madara scoffed. "You owe no one thanks." He rasped. "You did it on your own. Don't cheapen your success by attributing it to someone else." He closed his eyes and leaned back to rest his head, before continuing.

"I've never had children. Besides the village and the clan, I've never thought much about what other legacies to leave behind. It brings me peace to know that my legacy will live within you… You weren't taught without reason. I've invested time and energy on you so that you could see that the plan is completed."

Obito's face was set in determination. "It will. I will make sure of it."

Madara continued. "I only wish that I could have lived long enough to see my plan in motion." His raspy voice wheezed. "The eye of the moon plan is our only hope at peace. It will bring upon a new world where no one dies and no one has to fight. A place where we all can live happily."

"Yes a world where we can live without worry with our loved ones." Obito's voice was soft in memory and imagination of the future.

Madara noticed the change, and he paused as if contemplating what to say. "I'm not one for regrets, but my biggest regret is not fighting hard enough for that peace. The wars between the villages, the countless of innocent people's lives needlessly taken, could have been avoided."

He then stood up with as much strength as he could muster. "I once had hope for this world." He started walking, dragging the tree-like appendages protruding from his back behind him. "That hope caused me to build a village with a man who I once thought of as a friend, not thinking of the dangers I was putting my own clansmen in. That hope blinded me causing me to lose my dream, my family, and my honor. Hope is a dangerous thing."

Obito watched as he walked towards the middle of the room, the moonlight from the skylight casting an ethereal glow on him.

"Tell me Obito. Tell me that no matter what happens you will do all you can for this world. That you will follow the plan so that savages like those who killed your beloved won't continue in the new world."

Obito gritted his teeth at the reminder of his own lose and failure.

Madara turned his gaze to the large tree, the one that was keeping him alive and the one that would be important for the continuing of their plan. "It will be a long and lonely road filled with people who won't understand you, but in the end it's the only choice. You will be calling for a better world for everyone."

"Yes I will allow nothing to get in my way." Obito agreed.

Madara gave him one last look.

Tearing of flesh echo loudly through the cave as Madara removed the tendrils of his life support. With the sudden drain, he sagged against the tree. Obito was quick to his side, placing him comfortably upright.

Madara shuddered with sudden coldness and turned towards the frowning face of his only companion–and only family.

"Remember the plan." He told Obito.

"Remember your pain." He reminded him, his voice fading in strength.

"Remember that this is for the future." He whispered.

He shakily turned his eyes upwards towards the sky, getting one last look at the moon. He was unsure what fate he would meet in the afterlife, but he would gladly pay the toll to only see his dream come alive.

"A world of eternal peace." He mumbled before his eyes shut one last time.

Unknowingly at that moment a woman was deep in labor in the village of Konoha. Her husband and the doctors were doing all they could to calm the frantic and in pain soon-to-be mother. Her cries echoed the hospital hallway. The suddenness of the labor catching them off guard leaving them unable to give the crying mom any notable pain medications.

So she laid there in agony, tightly gripping her husband's hand as the nurses and doctors prepared to delivered the baby.

At the crescendo of her cries, another softer voice soon joined. It's high pitched cry blanketing the room as it's tiny body squirmed within the arms of the nurse. They tended to the baby as its cries died down, and finally handed it to its parents.

The mother shakily took hold of the infant, embracing it closely, and cooed at its soft pink tuff on top of its head.

The child's eyes slowly opened, and for a brief moment recognition hit. Its intelligent eyes taking in the surroundings before closing in exhaustion. The Haruno's thought nothing about the sudden awareness of the infant and instead chose the time to comfort the new addition to their family.

Deep in the night, marked the death of a misguided legend and the birth of a providential child. Both taking their last and first breath at the same time.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, death is only a figurative personification in this fic. Its presence is to add a sense of foreboding. Death will not be approached as interactive character, but rather used as a literary device to invoke imagery, symbolism, and/or allegory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping babies and whispered promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the reviews, and here's Chapter 2! Warning: not beta'd.

If they had any doubts about raising a child, it was immediately dismissed. Sakura became their life, their everything.

They didn't expect how mesmerized they would be with such a tiny human. Every little thing that she did fascinated them. From how she would wrinkle her nose and give a small yawn when she was about to doze off, or even the little noises she would make in her sleep. They were completely encaptured by her.

Everything about her was precious, and they wanted to protect that innocence. It didn't help that she resembled a little Fae from fairy tales with her cute button nose, soft pink hair, and large eyes that turned greener every day.

Sakura was a fairly easy baby. She was quiet, calm and not at all fussy. As long as she was well fed, changed and they didn't keep her cooped up in the house, she was an angel.

They were happy that they didn't have to suffer through many sleepless nights that other parents complained of. And when she wasn't sleeping or feeding, she just watched. Her large eyes seemingly studying them. They wondered what those intelligent orbs saw.

Ultimately, she wasn't what they expected her to be, but they felt extremely lucky that they were blessed with such an innately ethereal being.

They were content with their life.

* * *

"You're staring again, real creepy if you ask me." Mebuki was startled by her husband's sudden appearance behind her.

"Well lucky no one asked." She turned to face Kizashi. "And you are worse than me." She gave him a hug.

"How was work?" She lightly asked him, paying attention to not disturb the sleeping bundle resting in the crib.

"The same as usual." His attention shifted to the infant and he stared almost spellbound. Mebuki noticed and felt a smile stretch across her face.

"See I told you, you're worse than me." She teased.

He gave her a sheepish smile, before turning her around in his arms so that they could both watch the baby. "So how was she today?"

Mebuki inhaled the redolent scent of her husband reminding her of home. "The same as usual." She gazed down at the baby. "She mostly slept."

"What no milestones today?" He chuckled and it reverberated her back. "You practically ran me down when she utter her first word, although I don't think that 'ma' was actually a word."

"It was! You're just mad that she didn't say your name." She wiggled around to face her husband, but he only laughed at her attempt.

"Well technically she did say 'da' too. Does that count as a word?"

 _Of course it didn't,_ Mebuki wanted to say, but stopped herself for fear of sounding like a hypocrite, so instead she huffed–much to Kizashi's pleasure as he let out a triumphant laugh.

At the commotion, Sakura slightly stirred causing them to immediately freeze. They waited with bated breath as she moved around, her nose twitched and face twisted, before she let out a little yawn that melted their hearts. Then she fell back to sleep, and they let out a relieved breath.

Mebuki turned around to her husband. "Now lets go before she wakes up." Mebuki whispered grabbing his arm they slipped out of the room leaving the door cracked open.

"Are you hungry?" Mebuki asked as she led him down the hall.

"I have some cravings that I think that you can help me with." His voice was husky and seductive causing Mebuki to nearly trip over herself. She looked back and blushed at the heated look that he was giving her.

"I meant for dinner!" She quietly turned away feeling her face flush red.

He laughed at her reaction. "Yes that too." Kizashi then followed his flustered wife to the kitchen.

Once they got there, Mebuki went on reheating dinner, and Kizashi silently watched. He longed to continue teasing her as the pink tint to her skin had yet to disappear. But he knew that if he did, he would probably be on the receiving side of that knife that she held so delicately in her hand as she proceeded to cutting up some food. He shuddered at the thought, although a part of him, _just a little part,_ thought that it would be worth it.

He was broken out of his thoughts when she suddenly started talking.

"What do you think she will be like?"

Kizashi wondered what brought on the question, but it was a question that he also wondered. _What would their little Sakura be like?_

"Who's to say?" He said sagely. "She could be kind, caring, and charitable. Or...", he emphasized. "She could be the complete opposite–selfish and maybe a little tyrannical. With her soft looks, she probably could make anyone do anything for her. She could even rule the world."

Mebuki huffed, lightly tapping Kizashi on the shoulder and he faked hurt. "I'm being serious." She said.

"I was too, and that hurt." He rubbed his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes.

They settled into a nice quiet as Mebuki turned back around to finish cutting the meat. "All I want is for her to be kind and strong." Kizashi honestly said, causing Mebuki to look up. So he continued.

"I want her to be happy and to have humility and integrity in whatever she chooses to be in life." He softly told her, and then got up taking her hand into his as he looked deeply into her eyes. "And I hope that she will take after you. I hope that she will be as smart, as caring, and as utterly beautiful as you are. I hope that she gets your strength and determination. After all, you are the strongest woman I know."

Her eyes glistened before she laughed. "You must not know a lot, I know a few who could flatten me in an instant."

"That maybe true, but you are strong in a different way."

She nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "Like what?"

"You just want me to continue praising you." He lightly teased.

Mebuki pulled away and smiled at him. "You caught me red handed." He swooped down and kissed her so passionately that it took her breath away.

They broke apart not too long after, both lightly panting. Mebuki shyly looked at her husband, the love of her life, and cupped his face.

"I hope that she will inherit your kindness, loyalty, and your compassion. Most importantly I hope that she inherits your unconditional love...I want her to not be scared to love. To love her friends and family as fiercely as we love her–as you love her and as you love me." She wound her arms around his neck.

"I know that you will be the best father that any child could ask for."

And that phrase lifted an unknown burden from his heart because just as he was grateful for his daughter, he was equally terrified. He always had the fear that he would be a horrible father, that he wouldn't be good enough, but she soothed his concern.

He pulled Mebuki closer–thankful that she had complete confidence in him that he was lacking.

They stayed that way in each other's arms caught up in the moment until Kizashi's stomach loudly growled causing both of them looked at each other before they laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter originally was going to time skip to she was a little order, but I kind of fell in love of the idea of Mebuki's and Kizashi's interactions with little baby Sakura. I was not expecting it to become so sentimental though, but I figured that it will bring a little depth and emotion into the story if you see a clear dynamic between the two. Tell me if you like it or not?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant foxes, falling debris and green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the reviews so far! Although I don't individual respond to most comments, I want you to know that I do read them and that they are the driving force to why I completed this chapter so quickly. I'm so glad and relieved that you guys like this concept, and thank you for the support. So here's Chapter 3!
> 
> Warning: not beta'd.

It was almost 6 months after Sakura's birth when it happened. An explosion was the only warning that they received. It was so intense that it rattled the house. And a loud inhumane sound came after.

They both were stunned, unsure of what to do. Only Sakura's shrill cry snapped them back to reality, and so they reacted.

"Go check on Sakura!" Kizashi said as he ran outside. Mebuki was already halfway down the hall.

Kizashi was unsure of what he would see. Maybe it was an accident–a gas line explosion. Or, the pessimistic side of him thought, it could be an enemy attack. Whatever he thought could no way prepare him for what he witnessed.

He stopped short when he spotted a large figure in the center of the village. It varnished the sky like some sick demented painting from hell. Its glowing red eyes as intense and as deep as fresh blood. Its fur the same shade as copper.

It was terrifying.

Kizashi held his breath, afraid to make any sudden moves in fear that the monster would set his gaze upon him. Joined with him were countless people who ran outside to see what was happening and were just as shocked.

"Is that..." Someone trailed off.

And that was the last recognizable thing that was said before chaos ensued.

The demon open its mouth wide, its teeth so large that it could span buildings and sharp enough to cut through the toughest of metals. It let out a ear splitting roar. All the buildings in its proximity were annihilated, and they collapsed just as easily as dominoes.

Kizashi gripped his ears in agony. The ringing of the monsters cry reverberated through his head making him hazy. And he watched as people ran. He soon followed.

Kizashi raced back inside his house. He stumbled some, a little off-kiltered. But he managed to make it through the door and to his wife who was holding Sakura.

"We need to go." His voice was in a tone that Mebuki had never heard.

"What's going on?" She asked panicking as she looked at the desperate look on her husbands face.

They could hear the sounds of screams and feel the tremors. Their house shook with the vibrations.

"Now!" He didn't offer any explanation, and instead pulled them outside. Mebuki only had enough time to slip on some shoes.

The scene of terrified faces running for their life met them both. Mebuki turned to see what they were running from. Her blood ran cold as she was nearly paralyzed with fear.

A demonic beast was tearing their village apart. Debris scattered as a large tail hit a building. It continued to neighborhoods and houses. And with a powerful exhale, it tore apart the rest.

Kizashi pulled her closer as they ran away. They weren't sure where they were going, but they knew that they couldn't stay because soon the monster advance on their side of the village as well.

While they ran away, the tops of buildings were heavily occupied by shinobi. They ran towards the monster, intending on trying to drive it away. However, their fighting only seemed to aggravate it more. It thrashed violently, swinging its tails wildly and destroying even more.

A flash and an explosion happened that engulfed the monster and some people turned to see if perhaps the shinobi managed to kill it. However as the smoke cleared, both Kizashi and Mebuki felt their stomachs drop.

"What is that!" Someone yelled.

Not only was the monster still alive, but a large glowing ball formed in its mouth. With a huff, it released it in their direction.

They braced for the impact. They could feel the heat from the orb as it incinated everything in its path. But as quick as it formed, it disappeared, leaving them confused and relieved. But they couldn't brace for another earth shattering explosion from deep in the forest. Some people were blown away and Kizashi did all he could to protect his family and keep them from also being flying away.

Seconds ticked by before he moved.

"Are you okay?" He asked his wife who was tightly gripping their daughter.

"I...I think so." She shakily replied as he helped her up. Sakura continued crying, Kizashi was pretty sure that her face was turning red, but they didn't have time to comfort her.

"Come on. We can't stay here!"

Those who could were running, trampling over each other and trying to get away from the demon.

In the distance, an elderly man was also running. In his hand was a toddler and he had a tight grip on the hand of another child who looked to be about four. Kizashi saw as he was knocked down, his arms tightly grabbing onto a toddler, trying to protect it from injury. He was still holding the other child's hand, but as he saw the horde of people he tried to move the child out the way so that it wouldn't get trampled on.

Kizashi was reluctant to help them since he had his own family to protect, but he couldn't just watch as they would be inevitably injured and perhaps killed. Acting quickly Kizashi pushed people away trying to get to them, and he got their just in time to pull the man up.

"Thank you!" The man cried. Kizashi nodded to him bringing his wife closer and away from the storm of frantic people.

"Can you walk?" He hastily asked wanting to keep moving in fear of the monster sending another ball of destruction.

The man took one step forward before almost crumbling, Kizashi caught him. "I'm sorry I think I sprained my ankle." Kizashi didn't have the time to be irate and instead told the man to _Grab a hold of me._

The man made a grab for the other child, however, he found that between grabbing on to his rescuer and holding his grandchild, he couldn't.

"Don't worry, I have him." Mebuki said as she walked in front of them and adjusted Sakura to one arm as she grabbed the child. The man gave her a thankful smile, and they hobbled on as quickly as they could.

At the pinnacle of the monsters roars, a building collapsed. It shot down towards them in heavy bricks and metal. Mebuki, Sakura, and the child she was holding were far enough away. But there was no way that Kizashi and the man could avoid it. He met the fearful face of his wife and willed her to turn around so that she wouldn't see him crushed as the bricks tumbled around them.

He heard the desperate screams of his wife and could only get one last look of his family before his vision went black.

Kizashi expected pain, but wasn't prepared for the bricks to be blown away. He met the dark clothing of a shinobi who stood in front of him. The shinobi then turned around and Kizashi caught the red tint to his eyes.

The crimson eyed shinobi surveyed them for any injuries. Seeing none, he moved away to other civilians. Kizashi didn't even have time to thank him before his was engulfed in a one armed hug of his wife.

"Don't you ever do that again! I thought that I was going to lose you." She cried. Kizashi placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. It was the only comfort he could give her at the moment.

Soon other shinobi appeared, the white and red fan of their clans crest sat proudly on their back. Their dark features, while normally imposing, was relieving.

"They saved us", the elder man croakily said, and Kizashi agreed. He was extremely thankful.

They had always heard stories of how unfriendly and unapproachable the Uchiha were. But they were willing to risk their lives and take the time out to protect them.

"Follow Us." The red eyed man commanded.

It was the only explanation that the civilians were offered. However, those two words were the only command that they needed. The shinobi sternly protected and guided them to the safety of the villages underground tunnels. They carried the injured and herded the children.

The tunnels were long and dark, but the Uchiha's used their fire jutsu to light a torch that was bright enough to let them see in front of them. Kizashi's shoulder was aching from the added weight of the old man, but he pushed on. The sight of his wife walking in front of him spurred him on.

When they finally arrived at the end of the caverns, Kizashi realized that they were in the hokage mountain as the windows were large enough to see the village.

They watched off in the distance as the place that they once thought as their home was being destroyed by the monster.

It trashed around, flattening what was left.

People cried, despaired over what just happened in the course of an hour.

Kizashi turned to comfort his family and found Mebuki's eyes soaked with tears. But oddly it was Sakura's reaction that impacted him more. He had expected her to still be crying like many babies there, but Sakura stayed deathly quiet.

Her eyes trained on the window with an intensity that disturbed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found it very interesting to write the Kyuubi attack because you always hear about it and there are like four different POVs in the anime/manga, but I've yet to read a detailed enough fanfic about it. And so I wasn't sure how to approach it, especially from Sakura's parents perspective. Tell me your thoughts on how this chapter turned out. Also I promise that next chapter will be more interactions with Sakura (except it will be a toddler Sakura).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stubborn children, frantic wives, and new decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the reviews, they were great and seriously had me thinking about a few things! Here's Chapter 4, a little present for the weekend!
> 
> Warning: not beta'd.

"Come on Sakura."

"No!"

"Please, will you do it for mommy?"

"No! I don wanna'. It nasty."

"I know, but you have to eat it. It's good for you."

"No!"

Mebuki gave up.

For the last fifteen minutes she had been trying to feed Sakura her vegetables, which she ruefully regretted now that she was trying to calm down the angry toddler. At almost 2 years old Sakura had proven to be a handful and quite stubborn.

"She's not eating her food again?" Kizashi entered into the kitchen causing Mebuki to sigh with relief and aggravation.

"No. She ate her fish and rice, but she won't eat any of her radish." Mebuki picked up the fork and tried to feed it to Sakura only for her to scoot as far as she could in her seat and turn her face away.

In any other circumstance it would have been funny, but she couldn't find humor in her daughter being so difficult.

"Maybe she should eat something else." Kizashi instantly regretted what he said when he felt the mood turn sour. His back straightened when he felt his wives cold glare turn on him. He was scared to look at her.

"You're right." She said sardonically. "Maybe I should make something more pleasing to her palate. I bet she would  _love_  some carrots, peas, maybe even some edamame. I bet she would eat those. But wait, she does that with all of her vegetables! So I guess I should just cut out vegetables from her diet. I'm pretty sure that she can just survive off of rice, meat, and sweets. I bet both of you would like that!" At the end of her rant, her blonde hair was flying everywhere, and Kizashi was hell bent on fleeing.

"I di...didn't mean it like that." Kizashi stuttered putting his hands up in surrender.

"Of course you didn't!" Mebuki was still angrily waving around Sakura's fork, and Kizashi was worried that she was going to stab him with it.

"You think that I'm making a big deal out of this, but I'm not! This is about discipline. If I let her think that she can always have her way, she will go through life with that sort of mentality! And I will not have my child growing up to be some sort of menace to society." She ended while placing her hands on her hips.

"Ok… Okay you're right. I'm sorry. She should eat her vegetables. In fact I think she should have even more vegetables!" Kizashi was desperate to get back into his wives good graces. Mebuki almost forgot that the source of her rant was watching her argue.

When they looked back at Sakura she was slowly stuffing her radish slices in her mouth watching them with an interested twinkle in her eye that almost seemed mirthful.

Mebuki's mood did a complete 180 as she excitedly watched the toddler eat. "Oh! What a good girl!" She continued to praise Sakura while simultaneously forgetting her anger. Kizashi let out a relieved breathe.

He was used to his wife's temper, but he knew that lately she had been a little more stressed out with him barely being their due to his hectic work schedule, Sakura's increasing stubbornness, and their new house.

In the wake of the Kyuubi attack, the civilian sector was moved further from the villages center and coincidentally closer to the Hokage mountain since it felt that it offered the most protection, symbolically of course.

While their house wasn't destroyed by the attack, like most people, the Haruno's house suffered some structural damage that made it difficult to continuing living their so instead they decided it would be best to move into a better place. So with what little savings they had and money from the insurance, they decided to move into a small house that was to the east of the mountain.

The house was worn and needed a lot of updating, but it had a lot of land and they found that it was the best for their little family. At least it was at the beginning when Kizashi had the time to properly tend to the house. But lately he spent more time in business meetings than he did with his own family. He could tell that it deeply bothered his wife.

He felt a headache coming on thinking about all the meetings and contracts he had to attend to in the upcoming week.

"You seem stressed out." Mebuki remarked while washing Sakura's empty plate and bringing Kizashi out of his thoughts.

He thought about lying to her about his frustrations, but he knew that she would see right through it.

Sakura seemed to occupied her time with playing with her lion sippy cup and splashing juice everywhere. Mebuki didn't seem to pay it any mind as she instead focused on him.

"It's just… I'm not sure what I'm doing. They want me to go on a business trip to water country next week, and I still have a lot of paperwork to get done before then which I'm not even sure I can finish."

"Again. It seems that lately you've been going on a lot of trips." She rang out the dish towel and slowly started to wipe away the mess that Sakura was making. "How long will you be gone?"

"About a week this time." Kizashi sighed while raking his hand through his messy hair.

"That long." She sounded defeated, a tone that Kizashi wished she didn't need to use.

"I know. With everything that has happened the past year, we've been focusing on rebranding and expanding the company. Unfortunately that means precuring international clients."

"But why does it have to be you?" Mebuki finished wiping the counter and placed the towel into the sink before turning to face him.

"I guess I'm the youngest person there who has enough experience in order to lead negotiations." He lightly shrugged.

"But they know that you have a family too. It seems reckless to put so much responsibility solely on you." Mebuki lowered her voice as she touched the bags under his eyes. "I don't like seeing you so stressed out. And I would hate for you to miss out on Sakura growing up because you were constantly out on business meetings."

"I know. I hate it too, and I'm not sure how long I can continue like this." It was a confession that surprised both of them because they knew how excited Kizashi was when he first got his job as a finance representative at the Hokito Trading Company.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think that it may be time for me to look for a better job."

"Seriously!" It was a stark contrast to the disappointed tone she used not to long ago. Kizashi was glad.

"Well there's an opening at the civilian government sector. They have some new auditing positions open that I was thinking of applying for."

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Mebuki was both excited and confused.

"I didn't want to worry you, and I wasn't sure if it was something that I wanted to do or even apply for since I'm already working a well paying job. Also with us trying to get back on our feet, I'm not sure if it's the best move."

"Don't worry about that, I just want you to be happy. We will be okay and if anything, I can take up extra shifts at the bakery. And plus, with you home more, you'll just have to learn how to fix things to save on cost." She winked at him.

Kizashi breathed a relieved laugh. Although he knew that Mebuki wasn't the type to care about money or material objects, the real reason why he continued working at his job was that it paid really well. But unfortunately at this point, his job was making him miss out on so much with his family that he slowly started to hate it.

Mebuki once again cut through his thoughts.

"But what brought up the change? I thought that you hated politics let alone working for the government." And it was true, Kizashi was known to hate politics. He viewed all people of political association as being greedy and self absorbed–from civil servants, like the civilian police force, to public officials, like the congressional committee. There was a time that he would have preferred eating gravel than being in the same room as such corrupt people.

"You're right, I hated politics and still do. However, this village is in the midst of rebuilding itself and if we aren't careful more slimy good-for-nothings will gain control. I don't want Sakura to grow up in a village full of corruption, and I can already see the foundations of it happening with the government turning public opinion against the Uchiha."

Even though the Uchiha had saved countless civilians during the events of last year, they were still being persecuted for not playing an active role against the defeat of the demon. Moreover there were rumors circulating that they had something to do with the monster being released.

"Oh yes, I heard. There are countless rumors about them controlling the monster, or something absurd like that. Honestly, give people a reason and they will make up all kinds of things." Mebuki couldn't understand how people could believe that sort of foolishness. After all the Uchiha were one of the oldest clans of the village. It was their legacy, and they were sworn to protect it. Why would they want to destroy something they helped build?

"I agree, and I just feel as though there needs to be more people who rely on more than just gossip. This is why I'm a numbers guy. I like facts and hardcore evidence more than heresay. I know that I have a long way to go in order to inspire change, but I'm willing to do that."

Mebuki chuckled. "You're sounding like a politician there. You're readying your speech and everything. If you're not careful, you might not find you self in finance and instead you'll be running for city council."

Kizashi scowled making Mebuki's eyes twinkled wickedly. She turned to the sticky toddler that seemed to have emptied out the contents of her bottle.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" She said, and the toddlers bright eyes turned towards her as she chewed on the top of the bottle.

"Otou-san is going into government, pretty soon he's going to be a politician. He's going to gain weight, go bald, and dramatically age. Imagine all the laws he'll make. He's going to declare every friday as national 'style-your-hair-like-mine' day." She pushed her hair up into random points on top of her head mockingly making Sakura giggle. "Oh the tragedy!"

Kizashi pouted and turned towards Sakura.

"Why is your kaa-san so mean to me?" He fake cried, and Mebuki playfully rolled her eyes. "She's always so mean to me. No one loves me!" He dramatically exclaimed hoping to get Sakura on his side.

"No daddy, I lov' you!"

"Really, Sakura! I knew that I can count on you. Give your daddy a hug." He threw his arms up to hug the toddler, expected her to hug him back as well. However, he wasn't prepared to be wacked in his forehead with her bottle.

He fell back in shock.

When Kizashi got up, both Sakura and Mebuki were laughing, and Kizashi was left with a red imprint on his forehead.

"She's your daughter alright! Just as heartless!" Kizashi fake cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear people, I have the attention span of a rock. It took me a week to write this because I could not focus (sigh). I literally forced myself to write this chapter by locking myself in a room and turning off the wifi to my computer until I finished it. I even told myself that I wouldn't eat anything until I at least had a rough written. You would think that it would be incentive enough. BUT NO, it didn't work. Instead I stared blankly up at my ceiling for a freaking hour straight. Now I have a new respect for these writers who update like daily/every week.
> 
> Anyway, I hate writing filler chapters, but I can understand that the fillers are needed, especially when it includes some important information and foreshadowing (wink wink).
> 
> Tell me your thoughts, and you're predictions on some of the hints I dropped in this chapter with Kizashi's newfound interest in Konoha's government.
> 
> Also isn't Sakura such a little brat, lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of new friends and old problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little longer than 2 months since my last update, I know I'm sorry. I wish that I could tell you that I was busy and that I didn't have the time, but that would be a lie. Honestly most of my free time was spent either drawing, watching reruns of my favorite shows, reading fanfic, or some combined variation of all three. I've also been really getting into Harry Potter fanfics and I've been rereading all of the books. I can't believe forgot how bloody brilliant J. K. Rowling is (which I don't know how that is even possible because she is a literary goddess!).
> 
> Anyway, you can thank her for relighting my passion for writing (even though this is a Naruto fic)! Here's chapter 5!
> 
> Warning: not beta'd.

**Chapter 5**

Sakura took a deep breath and she ran. She ran with all her might until she was tired, until her legs were sore, and until her breath let out ragged gasps. But still that smile wasn't lost on her face as she heavily panted and grinned simultaneously.

She turned around to see her mother panting after her. Her breath was labored and the tight bun that she styled her hair in earlier had strands randomly sticking out like a porcupine. It was funny and Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

Her mother finally caught up to the giggling girl, grimacing and so red in the face that it caused Sakura to giggle harder.

Her mother fixed her with a stern look after catching her breath. "Why...Why did you take off without me?"

"I'm sorry mama. I'm just so excited!" Sakura told her not at all sounding apologetic.

Her mother's disapproving stare softened as her breath started to even out. "I know that you are excited but you just can't take off running without me." She started fixing her hair.

"Hai!" But Sakura couldn't stop the itching to take off running again, and so she settled on bouncing from foot to foot as her mother recomposed herself.

Her mother noticed her daughters impatience and with a sigh she gave up on trying to recollect her hair.

"How about the rest of the way we walk?" Sakura looked as though she was going to protest. "This way you can reserve your energy for the other children there."

Sakura looked doubtful, but after a while she nodded to her mother and grasped her hand, nearly dragging her mother through the large park.

Mebuki could understand Sakura's excitement for this was the first time that she would play with children her own age.

It wasn't that Sakura disliked socializing or even that she was ostracized by other children. It was just that Mebuki wasn't completely comfortable with taking Sakura to places that she could get hurt, especially with her only being three (well almost four) years old. Being introverted the way that she was, Sakura didn't seem to mind much, especially when the parks or playgrounds were crowded. But today was different.

Mebuki was invited to a little get together by a former coworker. At first Mebuki was going to decline–not knowing if she could find a babysitter for Sakura–until the woman mentioned that other mothers would be attending as well and would be bringing their children. So Mebuki readily agreed, happy that both her and Sakura would have the chance to enjoy themselves.

Mebuki, however, wasn't expecting Sakura to be so excited. She wasn't sure if Sakura was more excited for the possibility of making friends or the fact that they would be spending the day in a garden.

So they walked through the large park looking for the group while Sakura ohhed and ahhed at the numerous amounts of blooming flowers, and after a while they finally made it to a few benches that other middle aged women were lounging on.

"Oh Mebuki! I'm glad that you could make it!" A woman jumped up out of her seat and approached the pair. Mebuki noticed how Sakura inched back behind her.

Mebuki gave the woman a gentle smile. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Anytime!" She then turned to Sakura and stooped down. "And you must be little Sakura-chan. My name is Mei Ling, but can call me Mei-chan."

"Hi Mei-chan." Sakura said shyly, halfway hiding behind her mother's leg.

"I'm sorry she's a little shy." Mebuki said while trying to nudge Sakura from behind her, but she only further buried herself.

"I don't know why she's so shy all of the sudden, she was so excited to come here not too long ago."

"It's not a problem. My daughter is the same." She looked back at Sakura. "The girls are actually over there if you want to go meet them. I think they're picking flowers." Sakura looked over at the large grove of trees and flowers. She looked at her mother unsure of what to do.

"Now how are you going to make friends if you're over here with me?" Mebuki looked down at Sakura.

"But what if they don't like me?" Sakura's quiet voice asked.

"That's impossible, I'm sure they'll love you. But they can't if they don't meet you?"

Sakura still looked unconvinced and Mebuki sighed wondering where all that energy and excitement from earlier disappeared to.

"How about this?" Mebuki started and caught Sakura's attention. "If you go over there, introduce yourself and don't make any friends, then we'll explore the flowers together–just you and me."

Sakura brightened at this and unlatched herself from her mother. She looked between her mother and the grove of trees that the children were playing at.

With one final "Go ahead." Sakura took off.

* * *

Mebuki looked after Sakura as she ran off with veiled concern. She really hoped that Sakura would make friends. She was a very sensitive girl, a little too sensitive at times. She worried that if her daughter wasn't able to make any friends, it would leave a lasting impression on her and possible prevent her from making any future friends.

"She'll be okay." Mei Ling said, and it brought Mebuki out of her thoughts. "My dear Tenten is shy too, despite that she loves to make friends. I'm pretty sure that her and Sakura-chan will be the best of friends."

Mebuki hoped as she took one last look at the group of children.

"Why don't you join us and sit by me." Mei Jing took a seat back at her original spot and as Mebuki sat next to her, Mei started introducing her to the number of women sitting at the table.

"This is Nomi, Megumi, Jaita, Fuyami…." And after a while Mebuki lost track of the names, but she still nodded her head in faux understanding.

"And this is Mebuki-san." Mei finally introduced her and Mebuki offered a polite smile.

Mebuki counted off the women there and it didn't seem to be that many, only nine, but all were varied in age. The oldest being a woman that looked to be in her 50's with silver hair in an no-nonsense bun that looked to be tighter than even her own. Mebuki believed the woman to be named Kazuha or Mazuha, something like that. The youngest woman was named Ikuyo, and she was very youthful wearing a vibrant yellow summer dress and her curly hair falling freely around her neck. Mebuki remembered her name because she seemed to have a very genuine aura about her when she welcomed her.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, why don't we all just relax and eat." Mebuki just then noticed the appetizers and refreshments on the table. She also noticed that some of the other women had assisted in bringing some food when they started commenting on it. Suddenly Mebuki felt like an outsider.

"Oh if I knew that I would have brought something with me." She said quietly to Mei Ling.

Mei brushed it off. "I invited you, it wouldn't be much of an invitation if it was required for you to bring something."

"But I feel bad, maybe I should be in charge of clean up or something. Or I could go grab something, perhaps ice or some more water. Or..." Mebuki wasn't able to finish before she was cut off by Mei.

"Oh kami. Mebuki, relax! We'll worry about that later." It took even more prodding to keep her from making any unnecessary trips to the store.

"And plus Sakura's probably over there making friends, and I think that she would be a little worried if she looks over here and doesn't see you."

Finally Mebuki relented and her shoulders sagged in relief and irritation. But the irritation was gone when she took a bit out of one of the muffins.

"Oh my!" She exclaimed. "These are delicious!" When she realized that she said it out loud, she blushed in embarrassment.

"See Hana! I told you that your muffins are the best!" Mei told a dark haired woman and some nodded in agreement.

It seemed after that the atmosphere relaxed as everyone entered individual conversations. Mebuki, herself, conversed with Fuyami, the woman who made the muffins. They talked about recipes, and Fuyami even told her about some cooking classes that she took. Eventually she conversed with the other women as well.

They talked about the weather, the latest fashion, more cooking recipes, hobbies, and various amount of other things that it seemed like they were just hopping from one conversation to the next. And soon they were talking about their children.

"So what are you going to do about Sakura's schooling?" One person asked, and Mebuki wasn't all that surprised since not too long ago they were talking about their own children's academic future.

"I have no idea." Mebuki honestly sighed. "I'm half tempted to home school her, but she is such an capricious and smart child, I'm afraid that she would feel trapped at home." Some women nodded in understanding.

"Well let's hope that she doesn't go to the academy. I heard that they are doing open enrollment again for civilian children to enter the academy." It was met with a few wrinkles of disgust and uncomfortable coughs.

"I heard that too." Mei Ling confirmed with a forlorn look. "It seems as though with the official end of war and with the devastation of 3 years ago that they are in a shortage of newer generation shinobi's."

"And they probably will be. The shinobi arts are so barbaric. Let them kill each other. I will rather my Megumi-chan to become a housewife than for her to become a mindless killer. Don't you think we paid enough for their lifestyles all those years ago?" Kazuha, who had only conversed with another older solemn looking woman, finally spoke. It seemed to change the entire direction of the conversation.

Mebuki remembered the attack. She remembered how scared she was. She remembered clutching onto her daughter for dear life and wondering if she would ever see her husband again. She also remember the flashes of resentment that she had for being drug into a battle only reserved for ninja. But then she also remembered all the other lives lost, all of the shinobi who risked their lives to protect them. She remembered the shinobi who saved her own husband's life. And she remembered that living in a shinobi village was probably the safest place for them.

So Mebuki's thoughts floated around and invaded her consciousness even when the conversation continued on with some women venting on how savage, uncultured and utterly useless that shinobi were.

Finally it was enough.

"I have to disagree with you." Mebuki's outburst caught their attention. "While their job is definitely gruesome, I don't view them as barbaric, but rather necessary." She could see some protest and faces twisted in disbelief, but Mebuki held out her hand to silence them.

"Their job is equal if not more important than most of the jobs in the village. They oversee our protection, they keep our home safe. Without them we would most likely have been invaded and left homeless, or worse, enslaved. What they do isn't pretty, nor is it something that sane people generally flock to, but it is needed and thus needs the utmost of respect."

"What about the wars? What about the innocent civilian lives lost because of shinobi's recklessness and bloodthirstiness? I mean they have all the power, and whatever they say goes. Are we supposed to just allow them to continue to control our lives and livelihood as though we're just herds of cattle?" Another woman questioned.

And that lay the problem, the resentment that most civilians had. They were all for shinobi dying for and protecting them, but when it came to certain intervillage issues, civilians often felt underrepresented and overlooked. After all it took twice as long for civilians to get on their feet, to get jobs, and to get housing after the attack three years ago than it did for shinobi's. Even families were forced out of their homes to make place for displaced shinobi's during the clean up.

As Mebuki looked at some of the flushed and angry woman, she wondered how many of them had to suffer through those experiences as well. She knew that she was treading on a very sensitive subject. Sure she could freely express her views at home with her husband, but it was much different with a group of strangers, all who had their own radical views. But Mebuki wasn't one to conform to other people's views just for the sake of appearances.

"That's true." Mebuki agreed with the stern faced woman locking eyes with her. "Somehow between all the fighting, all the policies, and all the new people in office–people tended to forget that we civilians are important too. We've lived and lost and seen things that we worked our whole lives for destroyed. Sometimes living in a shinobi village we are treated like second class citizens while our liberties are taken advantage by groups of people who were born to use violence as a means to an end." That seemed to appease the woman as her shoulders relaxed a little and Mebuki's eyes narrowed.

"But that is why I said that they have the most important job. Because although, it seems as though they get all of the benefits, in reality they are risking their lives everyday to protect this village. The wars fought were more than just inflated egos and god complexes that people may think. The lives lost and the people killed was more than just a waste. It was about survival. And you seem to forget that if it wasn't for them, this life of luxury that we hold dear–that allows us to sit and drink tea, and also allows our children to play without any care of the world–would be all but a distant dream."

Mebuki was surprised that none of the women who were appalled got up and left. Instead they argued and huffed, both sides bickered for and against shinobi. Surprisingly Mei Ling was on both sides.

"I agree with Mebuki-san." Ikuya's quiet voice hushed the other women. "My… My brother was a shinobi, my father too. They risk their lives for this village. They said that they were doing it for my mother and I, but I knew that they were also thinking of everyone else too. It's the same with a lot of people who decide to become shinobi. Not everyone is as bloodthirsty and revolting as shinobi are stereotyped to be."

Ikuya's friend comforted the girl, but she didn't seem upset–only resolved.

"All I'm just saying is." Kazuha started. "That allowing children to join the academy allows for people to complacently think that shinobi is the normal way of life."

"But isn't it?" Mebuki argued. "It wasn't that long that shinobi replaced samurai, and before that samurai replaced Sōhei and ancient warriors. There's a long history of fighters and protectors. In a way it's evolution. I hardly believe that there will be a time where peace will be achieved enough not to need shinobi or whatever they may be called in the future. That's why history is taught so vigorously in schooling."

Kazuha sighed before folding her hands as a sign of muted frustration. "Would you feel any differently if your daughter become one? If somehow all of this pro-shinobi crap that you're sprouting causes your own daughter to enter such a dangerous _career_? If she got hurt, captured, or kami forbid killed, could you still sit there and support that type of lifestyle? Could you see the world in the same black and white, believe that shinobi's are the heros, and that civilians are just spoiled wastes of space? Or would you be bitter? Curse the very same thing that you supported for breaking apart your family?"

* * *

Sakura watched the girls play like an outsider. So far the day wasn't going like she pictured. She was excited thinking that she would make friends, but it seemed that the girls were already friends and didn't need another as they were determined to ignore her.

It made her sad, but another part of her (a small part) was equally irritated.

So instead she focused her attention on the bright pink flower that she held in her had. Studying its pedals and almost willing it to talk so that she wouldn't feel so lonely. That was why when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder, she was startled and quickly jump away. She turned around only to discover a small brown haired girl about her age.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" The girl asked.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She was tempted to look behind her to make sure that she was talking to her, but even Sakura couldn't deny that she was clearly talking to her.

"Ano… only a little." Sakura said cautiously. The girl seemed to look guilty before brightening up.

"My name is Tenten. What's yours?" Sakura continued to stare at the girl uncertain if the girl was only talking to her out of necessity. She was half expecting her mother to have sent the girl over. Distracted by her thoughts, Sakura almost didn't realize that the girl, Tenten, was waiting for her own introduction.

"My name is Sakura." She said feeling embarrassed for being distracted. "Haruno Sakura."

"Like the flower?" Her brown eyes twinkled as she asked.

"Yes." And although Sakura adored flowers, she wished that she was named something other than Sakura, something more creative.

"I wish my name was pretty like that." Tenten's voice once again cut through Sakura's thoughts, and she felt her cheeks warm at Tenten's statement.

"I like your name, it's u...unique." Sakura stumbled with finding the word. "There's a lot of Sakura's in the word, I only know of one Tenten."

Tenten smiled brightly at her, and this time Sakura did blush.

"Well it's settled, let's be friends!" Tenten declared grabbing Sakura's hands before drawing closer to the flower garden.

"Okay!" Sakura gleamed, a bright blush that was engulfing her face.

Minutes later they found themselves huddled under a brightly colored tree full of flowers.

Sakura learned that Tenten was a year older than her, liked flowers too, and had a weird hobby of collecting stray cats, which according to Tenten, her mother disapproved of. "They're so cute, Sakura-chan. I just couldn't leave them!"

But Sakura was even more surprised to learn that Tenten wanted to become a kunoichi. When Sakura asked why she simply said "because it's cool". Her response unsettled and disappointed Sakura for reasons she couldn't understand. But soon she was distracted by a particularly beautiful flower and started to weave it into the crown that her and Tenten were making.

"Oh that's a pretty flower! I wonder what kind it is?"

"It's called a Lilium orientalis or Stargazer for short." Sakura suddenly said excitedly that shocked Tenten.

"It's a hybrid of a lily and is known for its fragrance, some of which can be used as a toxin when mixed with the right ingredients. It can cause a person to have intense headaches, nausea, nasal congestion, breathing difficulties..." Sakura didn't realize that she was talking so much until she looked at Tenten's mystified face.

"Sorry." Sakura quickly said looking down and busied herself with weaving.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's just, you're so smart. And half of what you said I didn't understand."

"My kaa-san taught me a lot about flowers, and she has a ton of books on them. Sometimes when I'm bored I read them because they seem…cool. And I really like reading." Sakura blushed. "We also have a small flower garden at my house, you should come over to see it." Realizing what she said, Sakura quickly added. "I mean...if you want to."

Just as Tenten was about to answer, a high pitched nasally voice interrupted her.

"What are you babies doing over here?" There were three girls walking over to them. They seemed to be a little older. One girl had long blonde hair and she was followed by another girl with dark brown hair and one with black.

Tenten's smile dropped and she bristled. Sakura could tell that she didn't like the girls, their distinct cackling made it hard for Sakura to like them as well.

"What do you want?" Tenten stood up looking at the girls in irritation. The leader, Sakura assumed, she was the only one who looked as if she had personality, stepped up.

"Well, if it isn't Tenten, or should I say Chin-chin for that broad chin you have." Tenten's hand flew towards her chin, and her face reddened in indignation.

Sakura, angry on behalf of her friend, stood up and approached the girls who then turned their attention onto her.

"Hey you can't say that to my friends. That's mean!" She huffed and folded her arms.

"And what do we have here?" The blonde girl said. "Chin-chin-chan made herself a friend." She continued. "One with an equally broad feature on her face." Sakura was confused, until another girl shouted, "Look at that forehead."

Sakura's face flushed in mortification before she quickly unfolded her hands and moved them to her forehead, as if to shield it. They started snickering.

"It's a wonder if you can see anything with a forehead as wide as yours!"

"Yeah, that forehead needs its own country!"

Tenten tried to defend her, but they only got harsher with their taunts causing tears to start forming in Sakura's eyes.

"Oh look, she's crying!"

"Oh, little baby going to cry."

Sakura could feel one of the girls approach her and Tenten tried to intervene but was only held back by the other two.

Sakura tried to scramble away, dropping her hands to clear the tears that was blurring her vision. But she wasn't fast enough to avoid the girl literally poking at her forehead.

"It's even bigger up close!" She poked her forehead harder, only this time Sakura pushed her away.

She could feel the tears burn away as she felt her raging emotions relax until the only this was let was irritation.

Somehow in between the teasing and the push, Tenten managed to break away from the girls and quickly make it to her side. Sakura ignored the girl's frantic inquiries on if she was okay, while watching the other girls fume at them and continue to call them names.

Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Are you done?" The tepidness of Sakura's response seemed to stop them in the middle of their yelling.

"You think you're so tough!" The girl who Sakura pushed away yelled. "Is that large forehead making you just as thick?" Sakura actually found that comment pretty funny.

"No, but listening to you any longer just might." This caused Tenten to let out a shocked snicker and the blonde to flush in anger. Her friends shot Sakura what looked to be menacing looks, but Sakura barely paid them any attention.

"You know what you large forehead freak!" The girl angrily stomped closer to them, and she could feel Tenten hesitant step back grabbing onto Sakura to do the same, only she stayed rooted in place.

She got close to Sakura's face, close enough that Sakura could see the light brown flex in her otherwise dark eyes.

"So you think that you're brave." She menacingly towered over Sakura. In the back of her mind, Sakura wondered if the girls past time was messing with unsuspecting children.

"I'm not brave, just unafraid. My mom once said that those who feel inferior take it out on others. Is that what you are doing? Do we make you feel inferior? Are you so starved for attention that you pick fights just to feel better about yourself?"

In a rage of movements the girl harshly shoved Sakura, only Sakura didn't fall. Somehow, as if anticipating her move, Sakura's body twisted away. She used the girls momentum to quickly grab her arms, sweep her legs from under her feet, and pin her to the ground applying the softest pressure to the center of her palm in warning. The girl winced at the rough collision of her knees to the hard grass.

It quieted as they were trying to understand how one moment the larger girl was pushing Sakura to the floor and the next she was pinned.

The dazed girl tried to twist out of Sakura's hold, even going as far as lashing out at Sakura with her other hand, but Sakura remain steady.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." To emphasize, Sakura further clenched her fist causing the girl to wince and this time struggle away.

Sakura spoke with all the irritation she was feeling known.

"Now me and Tenten were having a lovely day, until you three interrupted." Sakura narrowed her eyes at the two dumbstruck girls who stiffened at her gaze. "Maybe I would be more willing to forget your involvement if you all apologize and never approach us again."

The girls looked at the subdued blonde. "Don't look at her." Sakura chastised. "She can't do anything in her position now, and if you're not quick to apologize, you just may be next." The color drained from their face. Sakura felt Tenten's shocked gaze.

The girls still looked unsure and to further emphasize, Sakura applied more pressure to her palm causing the girl to cry out in pain. Her friends quickly caved.

"We're sorry. We will never bother you again."

"Yes we only wanted to scare you a little. Please let her go."

Sakura gave them an appraising look. "And how about you apologize to Tenten-chan too. This hardly seems like the first time that you've targeted her."

"Yes! We're sorry!"

"We will never call you Chin-Chin again!"

"Yes, and we won't be mean to you either!"

"And how about you leader-chan." Sakura turned to the girl who was nearly in tears. "Are you sorry as well?"

She refused to speak. Sakura narrowed her eyes and at the same time clenched her fingers tighter causing the girl to whimper.

"I asked if you were sorry as well?"

"Yes!" The girl said in between hiccups. "I'm sorry. I'll never bother you again. Just please let go of my hand!" Sakura wasn't moved by her tears.

"And you won't bother Tenten either?" She questioned.

"No, I won't. I will stay as far away from both of you as I can!"

After a while Sakura released her hand, and the girl quickly snatched it back holding it against her like a wounded animal, her face red and blotchy. She then scrambled away towards her friends.

Sakura turned away, dismissing the scene of the two girls quickly grabbing their friend away while throwing horrified looks her way.

When they left, all the courage that Sakura felt faded and she was left light headed as she slumped. She couldn't stop the trembling from her her hand.

"Was that necessary?" Sakura finally faced Tenten, and Sakura felt a ball form in her stomach as she saw the uneasy look on her face.

Sakura couldn't meet her gaze, it was too overbearing. But she answered anyway. "It was. They wouldn't learn any other way."

"So hurting and threatening them is the best way?"

"Why not? They did it."

"But I thought that you would be better than them?" Sakura could hear the frustration in Tenten's voice, and she knew that she had to tread carefully least she would lose her first and only friend.

"What would you have done?"

"Definitely not that. That seemed...excessive. You could have really hurt her! Did you even know what you were doing?" Tenten's voice rose in octave.

"Well she isn't hurt, so I'd say I knew what I was doing." Sakura could feel her own irritation returning. Who was she to judge her when the girls target Sakura because of her? Tenten didn't do anything? She let the girls berate them as she focused on her and not them. Some of Sakura's frustration must have shown on her face because Tenten suddenly stepped back.

"I...I got to go."

"Why?" Sakura's irritation immediately drained and she felt dread return once again.

"I just…I think I hear my mother calling me." They both knew it was a lie.

"Will I...Will I ever see you again? Are we still friends?" Tenten didn't answer nor did she even meet Sakura's eye. She simply just walked away.

Sakura wanted to stop her. She wanted to tell her that she didn't _want_ to hurt the girl, that she was just angry at the time. That it was like someone else was in her body, and that she didn't feel any enjoyment or satisfaction from it. But she didn't.

She watched as the girl who was her first friend walk away.

Sakura shakily grabbed their flower crowns and walked away in the opposite direction, her hands still trembling.

* * *

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_If being smart is what you say it is, I will remain a fool my entire life._

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* * *

Being an auditor for the government's financial district wasn't a dream job for Kizashi. It wasn't something that he envisioned himself doing when he was a child, nor was it something that he was passionate about. However it was something that he was well equipped to handle.

Each day he went to work early and then came home at a reasonable time, enough to have plenty of time to spend with his wife and daughter. It was a great improvement compared to a year ago when he was running around the country worrying his wife and missing out on important parts of Sakura's childhood.

So his current job wasn't one of the more interesting jobs that he worked, but it was one with benefits he could appreciate.

Quitting his job at Hokido was easier than he thought. He spent a month off just reconnecting with his family. His wife was ecstatic, and he got to experience more of his daughters childhood. The little that they had saved bought him the time they needed while he went through the tedious process of interviewing. Thankfully his company understood his need to leave and gave him a glowing letter of recommendation.

So he went to the interviews and walked away with offers, but only one really stuck out–Internal Auditor for the civilian division of the government. It sounded like a specialized job, and in a way it was. It was certainly differed from his previous job as a junior financial analyst. Instead of just preparing charts and data, he actually got to research that data and make assessments for the next steps of the plan. He got to make arguments on supporting increases of food and farming as opposed to spending unnecessary money on silks and other frivolous expenses.

It definitely wasn't exciting. He didn't spend his time traveling to exotic places, in fact his time at work was spent in his small office hunched over his desk. But he felt as though he was making a difference, and he got to see his loving family every day. He was content, he had a great family, a good job, and that was all that counted.

That was why he was shocked when he was singled out by his manager.

* * *

"The higher ups want to see you."

Kizashi was sitting in his small closet-sized office revising the figures for this quarters domestic sales. He looked up at the pudgy man who entered and fixed him a confused stare.

"Do you know why?" Kizashi questioned, trying to think of anything he did in the past that caused him audience with the higher ups.

"Haven't an idea." The man shrugged his shoulders. "But they wanted me to bring you up as soon as possible."

He cleaned up his desk as quickly as he could, trying not to stumbled over his too close desk as he went over to the file cabinets that lined the side of the room. After he filed away the last of the papers, he walked out of the room and locked up.

He nervously followed the man out of the office and up the stairs.

The building that he worked at was fairly large. It essentially worked as three attached buildings, much like the Hokage building but less round. He worked in the left wing, the finance wing.

His floor was dedicated to handling internal finances, and other floors had different stations.

They walked up two flights of stairs, and into an open floor with thick glass doors. Kizashi never had been up this far, his own department (The Office of Commerce and Revenue) being on the fourth floor, two levels below the top. The Office of Public Affairs covered the first two floors, and the Office of Management covered the third. The Office of Regulations covered the fifth floor and finally the Office of Treasury was the top, which was where they were currently standing. In fact they were standing right outside of the Chief Financial Officer. "Ozu Hoshi." The name plate read, and the pudgy man nervously knocked on the door.

"Come in." A gruff voice answered, and with hesitation they both walked in.

A balding man with a thick mustache sat at his desk, which was filled with paper that he was neatly putting away.

"Ah. You must be Haruno-san." He said as he stood up and approached the two.

He turned towards Kizashi's manager. "Thank you for bringing him up. You're dismissed." The man eyed the two curiously before he bowed and left. The door closed soundlessly behind him.

"Have a seat." The man flippantly said before sitting back in his large comfortable looking chair. Kizashi hesitantly took a seat in front of the desk.

It was quiet for a while as the man studied Kizashi. He forced himself to not squirm and instead met the man's stare with his own. Kizashi wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't for the man's eyes to light up and the corner of his lips to turn up.

"As you saw my name is Ozu Hoshi, and you're probably wondering why you are here." Kizashi nodded, and the man smiled. He then pulled out a thick envelope with his name on it. Kizashi froze instantly as he opened it.

"Haruno Kizashi, 32, previously held a job as a financial analyst at Hokido Trading company for 10 years. You've been working at our Office of Commerce and Revenue for the past year." He looked at Kizashi as if to confirm the information.

"Yes, that's me." Kizashi harshly swallowed.

"Your coworkers and managers have nothing but good things to say about you. You've never submitted a report late, nor have you had any disciplinaries. In the last year you've submitted countless many detailed reports along with your own analysts." Kizashi confusingly listened to him. "Some of which even negated certain policies." And suddenly Kizashi knew what this was about.

"Furthermore a lot of these ideas was focused on questionable and unmanageable parts of the village instead of the more...profitable ones. For instance," he flipped through the pages until he arrived at a specific one. "You suggested an increase in funds for the food depository in the orphanages over using the funds for the village stadium. There's no question as to which of the two would have been the better choice financially."

The only evidence of Kizashi's mortification and dread was the constant slump in his shoulders as Hoshi continued.

"There are several reports like this, where you supported underfunded programs over profitable ones. Normally these would be ignored since the supported data is factual and you did factor in what we asked, but this leaves me in a very precocious situation. One that leaves me to believe that your current position is not a good fit for you."

Suddenly Kizashi felt like all the breathe was knocked out of him.

"You can't fire me! I know that there are some questionable assessments in there, but they were all for good reasons. Yes they're underfunded and not directly profitable, but it doesn't mean that they can't be." Kizashi was panicking. He needed this job, he had a family to support.

Kizashi was still panicking when Hoshi's voice interrupted him. "Who said anything about firing you? I simply said that your job wasn't a great fit." Confused Kizashi shakely let him continue.

"For the last couple of months there have been plans of a large scale project of essentially rebuilding and rebranding the Konoha's civilian district. It's been far too long since any real thought was put into proper rebuilding. Sure after the attack all those years ago, some progress was made. But we hardly took advantage of the blank slated opportunity." Kizashi didn't know what to think of such a tragic situation being seen as an opportunity.

"I don't get it. How do I fall into this?" He questioned, his panic regressing.

"Simple. We need someone to oversee the rebuilding plans finances. A district financial coordinator if you will."

"And you want that to be me." Kizashi questioned in wonderment.

Hoshi smiled. "Yes I believe that you are the person for the job. So no, I'm not firing you. I'm promoting you."

There were very few instances that left Kizashi speechless and this was one of them. "Why me?" He finally asked. "I've only been working here for a year. Surely there are other people more qualified for the job."

"That's true, there are people more qualified for the job but it doesn't mean that you are underqualified. In fact, it's your reports that made you even more qualified. The fact that you can take an undesirable part of the village and see its merits, we need that. In addition, we needed some newer and more open eyes on this project. I was asked to do this, but I'm afraid that living here for so long has made me biased. You, however, have a lot of traveling under your belt. Because of that, your opinions would hold more value."

Kizashi was speechless as he stared at the beaming man.

"So what do you say?" He asked him. "Will you accept the job?"

Kizashi never really had a dream, at least career-wise he didn't.

His dream was to be married to a wonderful woman, have a wonderful family, and have a job that could support them all. He was living it. Maybe in the past he had a fleeting dream that mostly everyone did. One where he would make a difference, help people, feel useful. But it wasn't a specific enough dream that caused Kizashi agony when he wasn't living it. It was just that–a dream. However, this opportunity woke up the sleeping dreamer inside of him. It made him feel inspired. It was an opportunity to make a difference, to help build a better Konoha and a brighter future. How could he refuse?

So with a determined look on his face he responded. "I...Yes, of course! It would be my pleasure to accept this opportunity."

"Great!" We will have your new office set up next week and in the meantime I will start getting you acquainted on everyone who will be apart of this new project!"

Kizashi was filled with a new purpose in life, he couldn't wait to tell Mebuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly guys, I was not expecting this chapter to be this long. Consider this my apology for not updating in a while!
> 
> So now things are starting to happen and you are starting to see a more glimpses of the theme of this fic. On another note, I hope the time skip of a year wasn't too startling for you. I mean I could have added more cute bits of Sakura and her family, but I figured that you were getting tired of it, and frankly so was I. I love writing family interaction but that not what this fic is (mainly) about, and I only included it to add a layer of authenticity to the characters. But now more important things are going to happen, and I'm excited to write them!
> 
> Anyway this was the first time you actually got to see Sakura interact as a person and not as a baby. I kind of struggled with how to write her because in this chapter she would only be three/four so she would have the mentality of a four year old. I included Tenten as a way to see Sakura interact with others who are not her family and threw in some bullies to further escalate the situation. More importantly, I included Tenten as a way to start introducing canon character instead of relying on random oc's, although they do serve their purposes.
> 
> So in a short bit you got to see a glimpse of Sakura as an innocent little girl whose excited to make friends but who is also shy, and you got to see a Sakura who is more standoffish and doesn't have the patience for bullies. Almost as if she is two different people! So you can have fun theorizing both Sakura's and Madara's part!
> 
> Also in this chapter you got to understand more of Mebuki's stance on the shinobi. I think I really have a talent of escalating a situation pretty quickly. Can you imagine going to meet with some people and all of the sudden something like that happens? This is why I don't talk politics around certain people (sigh). Originally it was going to be Kizashi who would give his opinion on the broken system of shinobi and civilian relations, but somehow it didn't seem right. I mean, I feel that it needed to happen the way it did to show the effect of living in a shinobi village had on civilians and differing beliefs. I felt Mebuki was a better choice, especially since we got to know Kizashi's stance from the last few chapters. And speaking of Kizashi, he got a promotion!
> 
> I kind of felt like the progression at his job was a little rushed, but honestly I didn't want to write another chapter where he boringly went to work. And also for the purpose of further chapters, he needed to be promoted. I guess I could have put him in the job the financial coordinator for the civilian district after he left Hokido, but I felt that some of the things that will happen in future chapters links to his mid-level auditing job.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of childish concerns and joyful swing set memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. It's been a crazy long time since my last update, and I feel extremely bad about it. I've been finding it really hard to write these last couple of months. But I realized that it's September and I'm way behind where I wanted to be in story progression at this point. So I'm very disappointed in myself. However, I want to say that you guys reviews are the reason way I was able to continue with this story, and I appreciate each and everyone because they remind me that I writing for more than just my entertainment. So thank you very much!

Mebuki was concerned.

For the last few weeks, Mebuki knew that something was wrong with Sakura.

It first started with the disappearance of Sakura's bright and bubbly demeanor. She still smiled, but it was often uncertain and forced. It immediately got her attention.

The second thing was Sakura's spiraling reluctance to go out, she would prefer isolating herself in her room (or the garden or the house) with only a book to keep her occupied. Mebuki practically had to force Sakura out, whether to go to the park or to go on errands.

The third was the blank look that Mebuki would sometimes see cross Sakura's face. It was a look that signalled that she was miles away and it took some efforts to break Sakura out of it. When Mebuki would question it, Sakura would just simply shake her head, telling Mebuki that she was just thinking and would continue on doing whatever it was she was doing before.

So yes, Mebuki was concerned. She was beyond concerned, and it made her anxious. Mebuki didn't know what happened to cause the dramatic change in Sakura's personality. And she wasn't sure if it was a normal thing that happened with a child.

Was Mebuki simply overreacting and this was just a normal stages of childhood? She tried to reason with herself.

Was Sakura being more withdrawn a sign of her growing up and seeking independence? At least that was one explanation that she received from a child's psychology book.

Or was there something truly wrong with her? Something that Sakura found difficult to share with her whether because she was confused, scared, or she was unsure how to.

Mebuki could go on "what if's" forever, but Mebuki knew deep in her gut that something was wrong. Call it a mother's intuition.

Mebuki didn't have many friends with children. She had Mei Ling, but she hasn't seen her in awhile and she wasn't sure if they were even constituted as friends enough for Mebuki to include the woman in her problems. Being a homebody herself, she didn't associate with many people besides her husband, and although Kizashi was concerned, he was just as lost as she was in this situation.

Mebuki tried everything she could to get Sakura to open up. She tried talking to her, only for Sakura to continuously reassure her that she was okay. She tried several attempts to cheer her up by making Sakura's favorite food, bribing her with snacks and sweets, and taking her out to fun places. It brought a smile to Sakura's face, but it didn't hold any lasting effects.

Mebuki was at her wits end, but she knew that she couldn't be angry at Sakura because something was obviously affecting the girl. Something that no matter what Mebuki tried to do, she couldn't help her with.

So Mebuki wa simply left with two options–either continue to support Sakura and let her eventually confide in Mebuki what's been bothering her. Or if her mood continued to decline, she was going to have to seek professional help.

That was how on this particular day Mebuki watched Sakura mechanically get ready for the park. It was a stark difference to not too long ago when Sakura practically vibrated with energy trying to hurry up and leave the house.

"I'm ready." Sakura's whispy voice brought Mebuki out of her thoughts.

"Okay, let's go then." They made their way out of the house, and followed the path into the bright Konoha streets.

* * *

Sakura found herself once again at the park–the playground more specifically–at a time a day where most children hadn't arrived yet. She liked the quietness of it. What little kids were out, were satisfied with entertaining themselves and they left her alone.

So she sat alone on the abandoned swing set, while her mom sat on a bench at the end of the park reading.

The first few times that they had been here, her mom tried to get Sakura to play with other kids. When that didn't work, she insisted on playing with Sakura herself so that Sakura wouldn't be alone, but Sakura was somehow able to convince her that she liked playing by herself–which she did…unless it was with Tenten. But at this point Sakura was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen.

It's been two weeks since she had last seen Tenten and the only reason she agreed to come back time and time again was that she hope that she would have another chance to see her. She had hoped that TenTen would no longer be mad-sad-angry at her and that they could give their friendship another shot.

However with each visit, Sakura lost hope with ever making up with Tenten plaguing her with the thoughts of "was it even worth it?"

Maybe Tenten already settled with not being her friend. Or maybe Tenten was scared that she would hurt her too–which was ridiculous.

Maybe Tenten viewed Sakura as "too violent". However Sakura wasn't, she hated violence. What happened at the park was more of a reaction to her feeling threatened by those girls. She didn't even remember how she did it, and she only wished that she could see Tenten again to explain what happened. Maybe Tenten would want to be her friend again.

But each time that Sakura showed up at the park and Tenten didn't, she felt abandoned. Unfortunately, it further affected her mood. She knew that her mom was worried about her, but Sakura couldn't tell her what was wrong. She was sure that her mom would be disappointed in her for fighting and losing her first friend. Afterall kaa-san always taught Sakura that hitting and hurting someone was wrong even if they may have deserved it.

Sakura gently swayed in the swing using her feet to steady herself. Lost in her thoughts she didn't realize that she attracted the attention of a kid until it was too late. They then decided to plop down in the swing right next to her. Sakura stiffened hoping that if she ignored them, they wouldn't talk to her and eventually go away. They didn't.

"You're doing it wrong." A boy's voice, she realized.

"Wha…" She questioned turning towards him.

"You're swinging wrong. You have to do it like this." He was a dark haired boy with skin even paler than her own. His hair and blue shirt ruffled as he swung, kicking his legs up and down. Sakura stared clutching the chains of her swing to prevent herself from getting up and running away.

He slowed when he realized that Sakura wasn't swinging.

"Come on. It's fun I promise." But Sakura didn't swing only clutched the chain's harder.

The boy stopped swinging turning his attention towards her. Sakura noticed just how dark his eyes were, they were almost like the onyx gemstones in her mother's favorite pair of earrings.

Sakura's staring seemed to make him uncomfortable, but he didn't leave like she wanted him to. Instead he smiled brightly at her, taking her off guard. He then proceeded to kicked out his feet and swing once again. Sakura glared at him, although he probably couldn't see.

"Come on, it's easy. You just have to lean back and kick your legs up like this." He demonstrated. "Then only you move forward, put your legs under you and lean forward."

Sakura realized that her glare wasn't working to deter him. It only served to make him talk more, and he kept repeating himself making Sakura wonder if he thought that she was an idiot. Regardless, he did look like he was having fun and Sakura didn't want him to think that she was simple minded.

Bracing herself she took his advice and kicked her legs back then forth while moving her upper body as well. She ignored the encouragements that the boy beside her was throwing, instead feeling relaxed the higher she swung.

Higher and higher she went, she couldn't stop the laugh of happiness that escaped her.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt so relaxed, so carefree. For the first time in the last weeks, she didn't think about Tenten. She didn't think about proving that she would be a good friend. She didn't think about worrying her mom. She didn't think at all. She let the wind, air, and the lightness take all of of worries away. And suddenly she felt like letting go.

Before she knew it, she pushed up as high as she could go. The swing almost parallel to the bar as she released the chains and let her body soar away.

That short amount of time spent in the air felt like minutes, hours even as she was enveloped into this feeling of happiness and peace. It was a feeling that felt old and almost undeserving as if she spent a lifetime in order to achieve it. Suddenly she felt that all of her problems were petty and insignificant. She spent so much time worrying her mother and worrying about whether Tenten was still her friend. Well Sakura would no longer do that.

She felt like she could finally breathe. She briefly closed her eyes and moved through the air feeling her body arch lightly before gravity set in and she was falling.

But she didn't panic, somehow she trusted her body to know what it was doing as she twisted and landed perfectly on her feet. She slowly opened her eyes.

It felt like a fog lifted in her mind.

"Woah, that was cool!" A voice called out from behind her, and suddenly she was back to reality.

The dark haired boy appeared beside her, both swings abandoned some feet way.

"It looked like you were flying!"

She expected to see her mother running towards her with her face twisted in worry ready to yell at her for being reckless, but when she turned around she noticed that her mother was talking to a tall dark haired woman.

As if sensing her eyes, her mother turned around and caught her eye. She smiled.

Sakura was relieved, at least she didn't have to deal with her mother being even more worried.

"Is that your mom?" The boy asked recapturing her attention.

"Uhh, yes?" Sakura berated herself for her first words to the boy being so unintelligible, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, that's great!" He sounded ecstatic. "You see that's my kaa-san that your mom is talking to. I wonder what they're talking about. Oh, by the way my name is Sasuke. What's yours?"

"It's Sakura." She said slowly taken back from how energetic he was. For the first time Sakura really looked at the dark haired boy, noticing just how familiar he looked, but she couldn't figure out why.

Everything about him was achingly familiar. His small pinched nose. The way his brow wrinkled in concern. The way his eyes brightened in happiness and furthered slanted upright when he closed them. His unruly hair that spiked around him like a halo, especially in the back. It made her heart ache.

"What is your name again?" Sakura asked the boy.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" He repeated brightly. And suddenly the familiarity was gone. Standing in front of her was the same happy kid, the only thing familiar being his surname, _Uchiha_.

Sakura knew about the Uchiha's from her father, and from what she's seen and heard, he definitely looked like one.

"Can you show me how to do that?" Sasuke excitedly asked. "I tried to jump off the swing like that before, but I ended up hurting my legs. Kaa-san had to heal me. But it doesn't look like you're hurt so that means that you can teach me how to jump without hurting myself too."

Sakura stared at the very talkative boy in surprise wanting to tell him no, but she couldn't find it in her heart to deny him, especially when he looked at her like that.

"Sure." And Sakura showed him.

It didn't take long for her to teach Sasuke and the rest of the day they had fun swinging and seeing who could jump the farthest. They even moved from the swings to the rest of the playground, chasing each other and playing survival games. Sakura couldn't remember a time she had so much fun as she chased after the boy. Again a feeling of longing engulfed her. And suddenly she was no longer seeing Sasuke.

 _Iz…_ Dark eyes staring adoringly.

 _Izu._ His small body engulfed in clothes far too big for him. A bright smile plastered on his face.

As quickly as it happened, it disappeared.

Sakura didn't even realized that she stopped running as she felt something wet slid down her face and land on her shirt leaving a dark spot. She looked up at the sky expecting to see it raining.

It wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are finally seeing the very first sign that Sakura is starting to remember her past! I wanted it to be a very gradual progression, so I hope it wasn't boring for you. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also you should follow me on Tumblr under my same pen name xxakatsukisbanexx. I'm definitely more active on there than I am on here, so you'll be able to see more tidbits about other things I'm working on and also fanart!
> 
> Remember reviews are like food! Feed the creative beast.


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